Craig Hutto: Bionic leg helps shark-attack victim walk

Technology is result of 9-year research effort

Craig Hutto lost his right leg in a shark attack when he was 16 years old. Soon after that he became one of the first people to test out a new prosthetic leg created at Vanderbilt University.

CNN

(CNN) - Craig Hutto lost his right leg in a shark attack when he was 16 years old.

Soon after that he became one of the first people to test out a new prosthetic leg created at Vanderbilt University. Researchers there have developed the first fully robotic artificial leg for above-knee amputees. The "bionic leg," as it is called, uses a variety of sensors and motors that replicate muscle and joint movement in a healthy limb.

This mechanism creates a more natural stride and allows users to do things that are not possible with normal prosthesis, such as run or go up and down steps and inclines in a natural way.

While we're not quite at the point of "The Six Million Dollar Man" bionics, exoskeleton technology is starting to show real promise in helping people with disabilities.